Friday, January 29, 2016

Call for Signatures: Letter of Concern to MAA

by SUZANNE CONKLIN AKBARI, JONATHAN HSY, EILEEN JOY, ALEX MUELLER

[UPDATED February 2016: In a swift response to this widely-circulated open letter, the Medieval Academy of America has announced and followed through on its decision to produce a statement on inclusion, diversity, and academic freedom (now on the top of its policies page). Since the MAA has taken initial action, the italicized passages no longer apply (i.e., no additional signatures are required). We hope this is just the beginning for renewed efforts to make medieval studies fully ethical and inclusive.]

Original posting dated January 29, 2016:

ITM readers and any other medievalists brought to this link through other means:

Please read this Open Letter of Concern addressed to the Medieval Academy of America (click to this link to access the PDF with full updated list of signatories) discussing the "Allen Frantzen Affair" and its wider implications. This letter was authored by Suzanne Conklin Akbari, Jonathan Hsy, Eileen Joy, and Alex Mueller (listed in alphabetical order by surname).If you wish to add your name to the growing list of people signing this letter, please click through to the public Facebook page and add your name in the comments section. Please let us know if you are an MAA member, lapsed member, or potential member (and your institutional affiliation, if any). You can even identify yourself as a FOM (Friend of Medievalists). All these signatories will be added to the letter and the full list will be conveyed to the MAA.If for whatever reason you're not on social media or otherwise cannot access the Facebook comments page, you can add your name in the comments section below (please note the comments are moderated on this blog and it may take some time for each comment to appear). Alternatively, you can contact Eileen Joy with the subject heading "MAA Open Letter" to be added to the list.

We hope that by acting together in and across our various communities we can create a better future.

Sorry to bother, but I notice that my signature as it appears on the letter lists me as at Louisiana State University. I left LSU several years ago and am not currently academically employed, so that's no longer accurate. If you need an affiliation substitute, you can list me as an independent scholar.